Household Origins
by HouseholdHero
Summary: Every superhero has an origin story. An entire household though? That's practically worth a full graphic novel! Welcome to the origin of the Loud family and each member of the superpowered unit! Each chapter will delve into the origins of one of the children! A superhero AU and set up for future stories!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey hey! Welcome to the first of who knows how many origin stories! This is the start of my take on a super-powered Loud family! Also, it's kind of a crossover!**

**Now, if it's a crossover, why isn't it over in the crossover section? Well, that would be because the thing it's crossed over with is the pen and paper roleplaying game Masks! Some elements are from the core book, but some are from my own personally run game! It'll come up if need be. Please read and review, and let me know who you think should be next up! Some will be in depth, and some will probably be like this where it's mostly set up! Until then~**

* * *

Lynn Loud woke to an empty bed, once again. As he reached his hand over to feel the vacant space that had held his wife mere hours before, he smiled to himself. She must have started early today, always concerned with doing her part. Even as she was pregnant with Lori she barely stopped to breathe, though her colleagues thankfully helped her see how bad an idea overworking herself would've been.

Lynn pushed himself up off the bed, feeling the light pop from his lower back before he swung his legs over the edge and pushed himself to stand. He allowed a brief moment to continue stretching before he moved towards the hallway of their small apartment. Thankful of the rug cushioning his footfalls, he quietly made his way to the room right across from his and Rita's. Peeking inside, he saw her and felt that same familiar warmth in his chest.

Lying out on the small bed was his only child, Lori Loud. The one and a half-year-old girl was curled up under baby blue blankets, holding onto her favorite toy. The small fake telephone that he had seen her make garbled noises into as she had learned to talk. He saw her take low breaths in her slumber, and he did find himself sorry that Rita had to miss this.

Then again, as she often teased him, he missed out on a fair bit of action where she was concerned.

He shook himself from the thoughts and made his way to the small kitchenette. He pursed his lips at the small space. He knew they couldn't afford much better for the time being, and it was important for Rita to be in the city so she could actually go out for work. Still, once Lori was old enough for school he was planning on working so they could find someplace better. Some more room and proper amenities, and certainly more space.

After all, it may just be the three of them now, but what if they decided on having another child or two?

Clicking on the baby monitor in the living room, though he doubted he'd need it with the limited space, Lynn went about preparing some breakfast for the three of them.

For about a half an hour, Lynn cut together some simple fruits and began the prep for omelets. Lori wouldn't eat much, but he suspected Rita would be famished once she returned home. If you were to ask Lynn, he'd honestly tell you he believed she tended to overexert herself. Still, he admired how she put everything she could into every little thing she had done.

After all, she certainly put everything into her writing. He had not expected a description of a lawn to extend past twelve pages.

The flames of the burner flicked on as Lynn applied some oil to the pan. He hummed lightly to himself as he adjusted the knobs of the nearby radio, letting his ears focus in on the light reports funneling in from local stations.

"Graffiti artists have once again vandalized the Royal Woods Plaza..." No, too small.

"A small fire erupted due to a propane explosion nearby..." No, he knew that she wouldn't be there. It wasn't exactly her skill set.

"The capture of multiple armed assailants mere minutes ago..." Bingo.

Lynn continued his cooking, delighting in the various scents coming from the heated spices and sizzling oil. The heat of the oven was a tad stifling with recent heat waves, and of course, there was no functioning air conditioning. The only room with any semblance of a proper temperature was Lori's, as they still fretted over their child overheating.

As he was finishing up the final flip on Rita's eggs, Lynn's ears perked up as he heard the low groaning and grunts emanating down the hall. He had the urge to rush down, but once again was worried about leaving when he had just nearly finished. Perhaps it could wait a moment…?

"Daaadaaa!" came the voice of his daughter, clumsy with the noises even still. Well that tore it, he thought, and he quickly adjusted the heat of the burner down to low before making his way back towards his daughter's room.

Cracking the door slightly more open, the young man expected to see his daughter sitting on her bed, yawning and rubbing the tiredness from her eyes. What he saw instead was his little girl flat on her side, struggling to find the neck hole to a shirt she had pulled from her drawers.

"Oh, dang honey! Be careful, you don't wanna bang your head!" Lynn said, quickly moving over to the tiny form. It lay still as he rested a hand under what he suspected was her head, helping turn the bit of fabric around properly and tug it down over her body. The little girl's eyes blinked innocently up at her father as she once again began to struggle, her arms caught around her sides.

"Dang it," she said after a moment, huffing her tiny face as her father once again helped her find her bearings. The tiny almost-cuss brought a smile to his face, though he was happy he had controlled his language around his little one. As he tugged Lori's arms gently through the holes, Lori was lifted off the ground as Lynn held her close.

"Did you sleep alright, pumpkin?" Lynn asked, with Lori blowing a little raspberry and made grabbing motions to the fake phone receiver. Lynn rolled his eyes, she would probably be racking up the phone bill in no time. He kneeled down carefully, holding his daughter in his right hand as he handed her the toy.

Lori snatched the false device away and instantly began babbling nonsensical noises into the phone, and Lynn smiled at the display. He didn't know what conversations she was having in her head, but it was cute to see her so devoted to her fantasy.

The pair made their way towards the living room, lacking a proper dining room in the small space. Lynn quickly placed Lori down and turned the television on to the local news channel before quickly hopping back into the kitchen.

Lori sat before the TV still devoted to her fake phone, intermittently speaking nonsense into it and smacking it against the rug beneath her. She liked how the air smelled, filled with the scents of food her father was preparing. She wasn't too happy about the news is what was left on, there weren't any bright colors or animals. Just old people in suits talking about old people in normal clothes.

Feeling her tummy rumble, Lori was about to cry out for food before something on the news caught her attention. A collection of blonde hair, a form covered in light green, and a small bundle were on the screen.

"Mama!" Lori called out, the phone clattering as she clapped her hands together. Lynn lightly peeked over to the television as he brought out a small cup of fruit and scrambled eggs, holding dull plastic utensils for his young daughter.

"That's right, honey, mommy's on the news aga..." he said, cutting himself off as he placed the food next to his daughter on the coffee table. There was his wife, once again having a dedicated story to her exploits of the night, but with an unexpected item in her arms.

"So, Anesthesia, are we to expect any other intrusions like this in the Royal Woods area?"

"Miss Anesthesia! Was this one of the xeno-societies that we have been familiar with before, or another new organization?"

"Anesthesia, I'm with the RW Gazette. If I may ask, what are the plans for the…well, for our new visitor?"

Lynn sat himself down on the couch as Lori happily ate away at her eggs, knocking the occasional piece down to the floor. He had assumed she wasn't home yet due to some public interview, but even so…

He watched as his wife adjusted the small bundle of fabric in her right arm, her expression hard to read as it ever was through the green-rimmed domino mask she chose to wear. As she spoke, though, it was clear to him how troubled she must have been.

"The individuals that my fellow heroes and I encountered today were both from previously dealt with extraterrestrial societies," she said to the gathered crowd of reporters. The large group seemed to be trying to press in, but thankfully Collagen and Canal were both there to keep them at bay.

"Don't crowd 'em!" said Collagen, the large and armor-plated hero. His form wasn't particularly hulking, but he was certainly the heaviest hitter on the hero side of things. His suit consisted of bone white plates interlocking and forming over each other, his voice muffled and only his eyes visible. Often he had been compared to a cross between a tortoise and a horned lizard.

"It would do you well not to crowd Annie," said Canal, a thin and wispy woman covered in a mix of spandex and high tech gear toned in dark blues and blacks. Her black frizzy hair was tied into a slightly puffed ponytail behind her head, and there were light scratches and scuff marks on the visible portions of her caramel colored skin. The fight must've been bad, given Canal often stuck to aiding the firefighters on her patrols.

"Guys, it's okay," Rita said, placing her hand gratefully on Canal's shoulder and nodding to Collagen. Taking a breath to steady herself, she continued her statement.

"The villains of the day were all members of the Search and Destroy Intelligent Specimens Taskforce, better known among us as the SaDISTs," Rita said, her arms once again tightening around the small bundle. Lynn was forming an idea in his head what might be held there.

"Why mama talk all people?" Lori asked her father, her words loosely strung together.

"Well, she's a hero honey, and they have to explain to everybody what happened," Lynn explained, his attention thoroughly divided.

"Cuz a big fight?"

"That's right, sweetie, there's usually a big fight and people want to know they're safe."

Lori kept eating the small pieces of fruit as she watched her mother on the television, once again taking in the form-fitting light green outfit she wore. It looked silly, with all the little pouches and vents on the different areas. Lori really liked it, but she thought a cape would be better on it.

"Is mama safe?" Lori said finally.

Lynn finally broke his attention from the report, looking down to his inquisitive daughter. "Well, yes and no..." he said, choosing his words carefully and thankful Lori was so young she'd likely forget if he flubbed his answer, "Your mom sometimes gets hurt, but she's usually fine. She's really strong after all."

"Mama strong!" Lori parrotted happily, clapping her hands together once again.

Lynn only nodded as he once again turned his attention back to the television, happy and worried that the interview was still going.

"As many of us know, the SaDIST group are a warlike band made up of various intergalactic criminals and warlords. Often times, they stay in the jurisdiction of groups more familiar with...interstellar dealings..." Rita continued, trying to find the proper words.

"While my team and I are no slouches, we were lucky to have only had a few of the members to deal with, and they have currently been taken into custody. We were lucky their physiology was still affected by my abilities."

"Woulda been a pancake from that big brute otherwise..." Canal said, being picked up by some of the surrounding microphones.

"This battle, however, has come in the wake of a great loss..." Rita said solemnly, and the other two heroes noticeably slumped as they peered at each other. Lynn had so far been worried about what the bundle contained, was it the tatters of some well-known hero? The remnants of some ancient alien artifact? However, as his wife began to unwrap the mass of pure white fabric.

The crowd of reporters gasped, and Lynn followed suit in his home. Held in his wife's hands was the peacefully squirming form of a tiny humanoid. This child was clearly an alien, their skin was a very pale green and they had a small mass of off-white hair covering their scalp. Lynn couldn't tell if the baby was male or female, and wasn't sure he'd have been able to, given their species might not have even had the distinctions.

"The SaDISTs were in pursuit of this child. The exact reasonings are unknown, but..." Rita suddenly paused, and Lynn was heartbroken to see his wife's pained expression. He was almost happy the domino mask she wore hid her eyes, but he knew the sorrowful expression they must have held.

"...but we believe it was to, for lack of a better term, finish what they started," she continued, tugging the child back into a parental embrace.

"I am truly sorry, Anesthesia, but could you clarify?" one reporter said.

"Of course…after the combat, we contacted some of the interstellar heroes looking for the origin of this little one. She arrived first in what seemed to be an escape pod, and the three brutes followed soon after. What we found..." Rita said, nearly trailing off once again. Thankfully, Collagen was kind enough to finish for her.

"What we found was nothing..." the armor-plated hero said.

"Yes, I'm afraid that we had not taken the threats of the SaDIST organization quite seriously enough," Rita said, rubbing the young alien's back as they were still draped in the sheets, "While most of our hero groups have been able to handle any incursions, it seems their collected forces are a true threat. This little one is now the last known member of the Magdaleni society..."

The crowd of reporters was hushed for a moment, the insinuations heavy and clear. After nearly a full minute of dead air, one voice spoke aloud.

"If we may ask, has AEGIS attempted to make contact to discuss the housing of the child?"

At this, Rita pursed her lips and Lynn knew what she was about to do. "They haven't yet, and if I may be so bold to say I don't think they'll have the opportunity."

"What do you mean by that, miss Anesthesia?"

"I mean that I don't find it quite palatable what AEGIS does much of the time, and they don't have a particularly strong pull outside of Halcyon," she said, before pulling the young alien closer to her chest. "I will be working with other knowledgeable heroes to learn all I need about this little one's necessities, and then she will be my responsibility."

The dead air was broken as many questions were suddenly flung out, inquiries on whether she was planning on yet another break and who would protect the city without her. Collagen and Canal looked slightly incredulous, but they kept to themselves as Rita continued.

"I will be requesting for another hero to transfer to Royal Woods for the period of my absence. I will need some time to find all I will need for this little one, and by then I feel I'd need to reveal something else anyway. May as well get it all out in one, huh?"

Lynn raised his eyebrows, already reeling from his wife volunteering and insisting on adopting this extraterrestrial baby. If that had him shocked, the next bit would leave him floored.

Rita seemed to scan over the mass of reporters before she settled her eyes on the camera for Lynn's preferred news station. Lynn saw his wife gain the faintest of smiles, and he wondered what could possibly come next.

"Honey, I was going to tell you once I got home but… I'm pregnant." Rita said.

Out of the television wafted the various sounds of camera flashes and a flurry of questions, while Lynn Loud simply sat before the television dumbfounded. He found himself really thinking about how he'd need to find a job and a proper sitter! He could have cursed his libido for giving him this, but who was he kidding? He just learned he was going from one child to three!

As far as he was concerned, he was over the moon excited!

Lynn Loud began laughing and crying lightly, picking his first and now oldest daughter up, squeezing her tight in his arms. "Dada, why cry?" Lori said, squishing her hands against his face. Lynn simply smiled happily to his daughter.

"Oh my gosh, Lori! You're gonna be a big sister now!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter guys! I've actually been positively tickled silly by the response so far to this little story! I've been loving the reviews and the favorites and everything, I had honestly been worried this would come across as uninteresting!**

**To clear something up before the chapter, I wanted to let everyone know that this collection of stories will absolutely have an internal continuity! I actually want to write stories about super-powered Louds at their normal ages, but I wanted to set the stage with short issues introducing the world a bit! Ergo, this story will specifically be the origins and younger days of the kids as they grow in this world! I'm honestly not sure who's gonna be up next~**

**That should be all for now, hope everyone enjoys!**

* * *

It was five in the morning in the middle of fall. The trees throughout Royal Woods had long since burned themselves into their Autumnal colors, and the pumpkins decorating most of the homes reminded everyone of the year's marching on. Despite this, Canal was anything but chilly at the moment. And why was that?

Well, being surrounded by the smoldering soon-to-be wreckage of a local business is an effective way to warm up.

The lone superhero ran her fingers over her electronic bracer, adjusting the intake on her suit's systems. The fire was large and brutal, clearly a clumsy attempt at arson. The burned out skeleton of the building did nothing to hide the gasoline canisters that had been pitched haphazardly into the back alley.

As the water from the connected hydrants flowed through her suit, Canal felt the familiar tug in her gut as she once again released the torrents of water into the remaining fires. The spray accumulated into an amorphous mass of water, ash and other detritus floating inside as her powers held the body of water in one. Running the gathered liquid through the air, she smothered any of the embers that persisted.

"Hey Canal, how are things on your end?" said the voice of her teammate, coming through her earpiece.

"Fire's all set, and we found a bunch of evidence tossed out nearby. Any luck and I'm sure we'll get their fingerprints on it," she said, absently pushing the leftover bits of waste around with the floating blob of water, "How's your end, Col?"

"Things are just fine here, just three jerks trying to break into the bank. These guys barely got in the front door, don't know how they expected to get into the vault," Collagen answered.

"Jeez, these small-time crooks are popping up everywhere now that Rita's on leave. Again."

"Definitely, I'd even say they're underestimating us. So how much longer is she out for, Lynn's taking care of the kids, yeah?"

"Man, it really has been a while since you visited, huh?" Canal said, shaking her head despite their conversation being entirely audio, "They're expecting another one."

"Another?! Jeez, that Loud certainly doesn't let up, does he?" Collagen said, disbelief laced in his voice, "Wasn't he powerless?"

"Yeah? What's your point?"

"Nothing. Just sounds to me like he's super fertile," he said, to which Canal groaned.

"Don't be gross, man! And leave the dad jokes to Lynn, he's at least got a right to them." She said, exasperated at the stinker of a joke.

"I know, I know. I really should stop by, it's been too long."

"Yeah, you should." The water-based hero said, before finally letting the tug in her gut drop and the water pressure cease through her equipment. "Just bring some earplugs, I think their latest is a Meta. Hey, I've gotta go and finish up with the fire department, keep me posted if anything else pops up."

"Roger that."

The communicator went quiet for the time being, and Canal filtered the remaining moisture out of the muddy ash on the floor. The clean water filtered back through her suit and returned into the city's fire hydrants. Honestly, she wondered how much she alone was saving the town on water.

Her task complete for now, she made her way out of the charred remains of the Bean Boy's Coffee Shop. She'd miss the place, but she suspected the owner would probably just sell the lot rather than rebuild. With her luck, they'd probably put in some weird fusion restaurant.

She breathed in the seasonal air as the various firefighters began to make their way towards her. She couldn't help but think Rita was a bit lucky, getting a break from this hero work.

* * *

Rita felt absolutely certain that she missed the ease of her hero work.

It was much too early in the morning, she thought, for there to already be a fight brewing. Nevertheless, Rita heard the soft sounds of bickering coming from down the hall. She noted a distinct lack of any intervention from her husband, which she guessed meant he was clocked out once again.

Rita groaned as she rose out of bed, kicking away a few plush toys and plastic blocks. Despite their recent move to a larger flat, it was already feeling too small once again. Toys and small articles of clothing littered the floor and any moment where Luna was peaceful and quiet her two older daughters were having arguments over every little thing. How were they going to fit another baby into the mix?

She sighed, running her hand over her slowly developing baby bump. Rita could have groaned at the frequency this was beginning to be. Honestly, if it weren't for the city paying for her maternity leave they'd be well over their head already.

Readjusting the small earbuds she was wearing, Rita picked her youngest daughter up from her fussed up bundle of blankets. Luna was close to 9 months old now, and she was turning out to be a docile little angel. She had her crying fits now and then, which had been a nightmare in their first few months. She'd begin crying and screeching, and her sisters would follow soon after. Then it was only a matter of time and will before Rita and Lynn were both there as well.

Well, a matter of time for Rita at least. Her husband's sensitive heart and mind followed Luna's tantrums well before Leni or Lori.

Reaching down, Rita turned the small radio they kept next to her crib off. Thankfully, they had found Luna was calmed by some of the easy listening stations and other slower toned music. It was a sanity-saving realization as they waited for the various sets of earpieces to be made for the rest of the family.

Luna curled up in her mother's warm embrace, eyes wide and curious as her small bunch of brunette hair tickled Rita's neck. She lightly bounced the young girl in her arms before she left the room, seeing the sleepy expression return to Luna's face.

Out in the living room, a standoff was occurring between Leni and Lori. Or perhaps more accurately, a sit off.

Leni sat upon their couch, her eyes filled with innocence and confusion. Her skin was still the same light green tone it had always been, though her hair had darkened from the off-white to a more platinum blonde. She was dressed in the same pure white night dress she always wore to bed, looking perplexed by Leni's frustration. Often when these arguments began, Leni barely seemed to interact with it at all, which only seemed to fuel the three-year-old Lori.

"I want that spot!" Lori said, attempting to push against her younger sister. Lori was a few inches taller than Leni by now, still looking all the same as their normal human daughter. Blond hair like Rita's, a fair complexion, her light blue pajamas. Lori had her teeth clenched, showing off all her grown in baby teeth.

"But I first?" Leni said lightly, watching her older sister push harder against her. It was no use, though, as Leni simply began to sink deeper into her spot on the couch. Rita couldn't help but grin at the display, even if she hadn't appreciated the wake-up. Despite Leni's natural born abilities, Lori still tried her darndest to bowl her sister over.

"Hey, you two! What did mommy say about fighting?" Rita asked, placing her one free hand on her hip.

"Not?" Leni answered simply, still not budging a millimeter as Lori tugged hard on the alien's body, feet dragging beneath her.

"We aren't fighting!" Lori said, not pausing her actions for a moment, "I'm the big sister! I want the spot!"

Rita rolled her eyes at her older daughter. Ever since Leni began displaying her natural abilities, Lori seemed determined to prove...something. Whatever it was, Rita was sure the reason was silly.

As Leni had begun to develop and grow in their care, she had displayed some gross control of her own body's relative density and weight. It was honestly a little harrowing, as they had first found out while Lynn held Leni at her first Earth birthday. The tiny tot made herself heavy enough to bust through her high chair, and it had taken Rita and Lynn hours to get her to reverse the effects.

"Leni, give Lori the seat, for now, it's too early for the fights..." Rita said in what she hoped wasn't a desperate tone of voice.

"Why?" Leni said, quietly adjusting herself on the sunken-in cushion.

"Because mommy said please?" Rita asked. Leni looked thoughtful for a second, then slowly the cushion beneath her slowly rose up. Lori still held tight to her younger sister's arm, but as Leni began to float above the cough and seems to be light as a feather, the older sister sat on the couch and kept her alien sister from floating up to the ceiling. Again.

"Be careful with Leni, Lori," Rita said, moving through the living room and towards the small kitchen and dining room, "And don't float off with Lori, Leni."

"We won't," they said in a clumsy unison, Lori huffing lightly while Leni bobbed up and down like the world's most convincing balloon animal.

Rita stepped into the kitchen to see...well, what she expected. Lynn had said he'd take the night shift, keeping an ear open for any disturbance from Leni or Lori's room, or if Luna needed midnight changing. So, obviously, here he was laying across the small dining table with an empty coffee cup in hand, snoring peacefully. Looking down at Luna, Rita gave her current youngest a small smile.

"Wanna help mommy wake up dada?" she said, lightly pinching Luna's rosy chubby cheeks.

Luna made a low but adorable squeaking noise, and as Rita hooked her arms around her daughter fully and leaned her next to her father, she was pleased to see the result. Luna reached her clumsy digits out and grabbed her father by the nose, squeezing it lightly and shaking his head from the contact and action.

Lynn had made a few groggy noises before letting his eyes shoot wide open. "Oh gosh!" he said, sitting himself straight up in his chair, "What time is it?! Oh ding dang darn it, I knew it, they must've sold me decaf!"

"Honey! Honey, it's alright, you got a little drowsy," Rita said, consoling her husband by tugging him back down to his chair. Luna made uncoordinated grasps at her father's shirt, still making the low gurgles and squeaks pre-speaking babies made. Lynn distractedly touched Luna's hands, and let himself relax as she squeezed his fingers.

"Ah dang it, did the girls wake you up?" Lynn said, turning his attention back to Rita. "I don't know how long I've been out..."

"It's still early, sweetie," Rita said, motioning to the wall clock. It was only half past six, and she had remembered Lynn rose from bed sometime past midnight when Lori had begun to cry.

"Still, I must've lost track of time. I guess after Lori and Leni got back to sleep, I just figured I'd..." He trailed off, and Rita raised an eyebrow at him. This was starting to be a pattern.

Rita was about to ask until she finally noted the condition of the kitchen. Various cast iron pans, stainless steel utensils, and other items were laid out on the small countertop. They were arranged neatly, and it seemed like Lynn was possibly maintaining his various cooking utensils. He did so love to cook.

"Have a late night snack?" Rita said, watching her husband's expression. He gained a slightly blank expression before he finally nodded with a slightly bashful look.

"Uh, yeah! That's what it was! Was a little peckish, you know how I get in the middle of the night."

"Uh-huh," Rita said, smirking at her husband. "And you just ate your food and fell asleep across the table?"

"Y-yes! I was still feeling really exhausted, and I guess I didn't want to...walk back to bed...?"

"So why'd you make up a cup of coffee?" Rita asked, and the embarrassed look on her husbands face made her giggle. "I'm guessing we had a brief visit from the Cast Iron Crusader?"

The red hue that overtook Lynn's face brightened Rita's mood further. Her husband had always wanted to be a part of the superhero world, but without any abilities of his own, it was highly unlikely he'd be qualified. While there had certainly been powerless heroes registered in the past, they often had trained their bodies incredibly or made up for the gap in power with technology.

Lynn had...neither. He had attempted martial arts classes when they were younger, splitting up much of his time between the light training and his favored hobby of cooking. Once Rita gained her own license for her work, he actually believed he'd have someone to present his case for registration. This only grew as Rita quickly became a household name around Royal Woods and other local super communities.

That was when Rita found she was pregnant with Lori, and the prospect of the Cast Iron Crusader became less and less likely. Someone needed to be home to raise the kids, and Rita made an impressive salary as Anesthesia. Lynn made it clear he wasn't disappointed by it, but she still found he lived out this small fantasy when he thought she and their children were asleep.

"I know it's silly..." Lynn said, wrapping his hands around Luna's tiny body and lifting her up and out of her mother's arms, "I just still get a kick out of it, you know? I see all the amazing things that you do out there..."

"And you want to be a part of it, huh?" Rita said, standing and kissing her husband on the cheek. He nodded, eyes still half-lidded with sleepiness.

"Hey, you never know..." Lynn said, his tone light-hearted and joking, "If you keep ending up on leave, they might let this old chef cook up some justice."

Rita tapped his shoulder and rolled her eyes. She was going to poke a little fun at him before they heard their oldest daughter call out. "Moooom, daaad! Leni's on the roof again!" Lori said from the living room.

"You let go!" Leni's voice called back.

"Oh no..." Lynn readjusted his hold of Luna and began to make his way to the living room. "Sweetie, you relax. I've got the girls for now, will you be alright?"

"I'm only a few months in, Lynn, and this is our third one," Rita said, waving off his concern, "I appreciate you taking care of this."

Lynn nodded, barely pausing his stride into the living room. Rita heard him call out, "Leni! Be careful and come back down. That's right...no! Not that quick!" Her husband let out a brief grunt, and she heard him struggle under Leni's self-altering weight. She waited for a few seconds, finally hearing Lynn say, "Urgh, I've got her honey! Don't worry!"

The rest of the morning went by without incident. Rita prepared herself a brief meal of sausage and eggs, which she added a fair bit of chili powder and tabasco too. She swore every time she was pregnant she had some new food craving. She kept her attention on any noises coming from the living room but was happy to hear only the lowest tones of some child-friendly television.

As Rita continued through her meal, she had to admit that Lynn really must've been effective with the girls. While Leni didn't seem phased by it, the squabbles between her and Lori were becoming more frequent. Rita was beginning to suspect that her oldest daughter may have been feeling some level of jealousy, given Leni's natural abilities and Luna's particular gift.

Feeling the heat from the sauce and spices on her tongue, Rita couldn't help but be happy with how manageable the girls' gifts were turning out to be. Her own parents had stated that when she was born, her own powers would flare up and she'd put the entire household to sleep. They had padded the entire house and kept her on the ground floor until she was four years old, just in case.

Rita was happy no such extremes were necessary for her girls. Lori still seemed to be without any Metahuman abilities, and Leni had been very obedient once she had picked up enough English. Luna's were the most invasive, but as long as everyone wore their earpieces…

That was when Rita noticed the small speck of black under the table. Plucking the small item off the floor, she noted it was one of Lynn's. Directing her full attention back to the living room, she realized that she was still only hearing the light musical notes from the television.

"Honey?" Rita said, calling out from the table, "Is everything alright in there?"

"Huh?" Lynn said, his tone relaxed and lackadaisical. That was all Rita needed to hear as she quickly stood and made her way out of the kitchen.

The scene she came upon was a comforting image, her husband sat upon the couch with all three of their children sitting around him. As Rita stepped around the front of the couch, she confirmed her suspicions. Lynn had one missing earpiece, and Lori and Leni once again forget to put theirs in. Each family member wore a half-lidded expression, their bodies slightly slumped and leaning against each other.

All except for Luna, as the tiny baby was humming out the melody of the cartoon playing. It was soft and harmonic and despite Luna's inability to talk she was holding the notes incredibly well. Rita could practically see the melodies overriding the others minds and emotions, but was happy it was this rather than a tantrum.

She shuddered at the thought of Leni being affected by one of Luna's tantrums again. The last time was when they were strolling through the park, and Luna's crying and bellowing carried out and made every man, woman, and other around to cry and sit angrily on the ground. Leni had followed suit and made herself dense enough to leave a crater by the entrance.

Leaving the room, Rita gathered the smaller sets of noise-filtering devices from Leni and Lori's room. Every morning, she thought, and these little ones still forgot to put these on. They were important for as long as Luna was growing and unable to control her abilities.

Moving back to the couch, Rita brushed her fingers along her husband's face first, placing his single missing earpiece in his ear. The moment it was in, his expression went from the tired but happy expression to one of confusion and wonder, before finally settling on embarrassed recognition.

"I lost one of them again, didn't I?" he said.

"Got it in one, Cast Iron," Rita teased, guiding Luna into his lap. Lynn curled an arm around the still humming Luna, keeping her position stable.

Rita moved to her left and brushed Lori's hair behind her ears. Placing both of the devices in, Lori's expression transitioned much faster away from the peaceful face to one of incensed realization.

"There's mommy's favorite Chatterbox," Rita said kindly, to which Lori harrumphed.

"Luna did it again!" Lori said loudly, crossing her arms and pressing herself against the nearest armrest. "Tell her to stop!"

"You know I can't do that, sweetie," Rita said comfortingly.

"Why not?" Lori asked, and her exasperated expression was impressive for a three-year-old.

"Because Luna isn't old enough to know she's doing anything," Rita explained, "It took Leni a little while to stop floating too, remember?"

Lori nodded, but she didn't look particularly happy about the explanation. "What about my thingies?" Lori finally said.

"You mean your powers?"

"Yes!"

"Well..." Rita trailed off, looking to her husband for support.

"Um, well, you see Lori," Lynn began, placing his free arm around his oldest child, "Some people just don't show any signs until they get older!"

"Like you?" Lori asked, looking up at her father. He paused at that.

"Well, um, yes! I guess kinda like me…?" Lynn answered, and Rita noted a slightly hopeful tone in his voice.

"But you're literally super old daddy! I don't wanna wait 'til I'm old!" Lori said, and Lynn visibly deflated at that.

"Ouch, not even out of my twenties yet, but that stung..." he said after a moment.

"Oh be nice to your father, Lori. I'm sure you'll discover your abilities when you're ready." Rita said, moving over to the other side of Lynn. Leni sat there, looking remarkably light and bobbing up and down just above the couch cushions.

Rita once again ran her fingers along her daughter's face, clearing the extremely light blonde hair behind the young alien's ears. Besides the pale green skin, Leni's eyes and ears were the most prevalent non-human features on her. Her pupils were extremely wide, and there was no color surrounding them. Her ears were slightly pointed and ridged, and they twitched as Rita placed the earpieces in.

Leni blinked, her pupils transforming from the wide dilated appearance to slits, giving the young girl a cat-like appearance. Her ears began to twitch this way and that more erratically, seemingly to detect any odd sounds around her.

"And there's our little Comet," Rita said, readjusting Leni's hair once more. Leni looked up at her mother, her face the perfect picture of ignorance.

"Song bad?" Leni asked, to which Rita shook her head.

"Not bad, sweetie, just a surprise was all. You need to remember your earbuds though."

"Sorry," the young girl said, not sounding particularly sorry. The young girl ceased floating, sinking back into the spot beneath her. Rita rolled her eyes as she ruffled up the alien's hair.

The rest of the morning went on as normal, the girls playing with each other and holding one-sided arguments over toys. Lynn and Rita continued their recent research into sitters and preschool, knowing they'd need to be prepared ahead of time. Lori was fast approaching that age, and they'd need a school that would fit with Leni's necessities as well.

Lynn was also circling various help wanted ads in the local paper, still worrying over their current financial stability. After all, the city was still paying a fair bit for Rita's maternity leave, but he suspected they'd stop being generous if she was out of hero work for much longer. She assured him it was only temporary, and after their next child, she'd be returning to work again.

Lynn knew that his wife was antsy to return to work, with it having been so long. He noticed the light citrusy fragrance that accompanied her powers in the midst of her sleeping. Her dreams must have been filled with her combats and stakeout missions.

As he was circling an ad for a line cook, Lynn peered out the corner of his eye to check if anyone could see him at the kitchen table. When he saw no one, he reached out to the heavy iron pan on the table.

"Alright, punks..." Lynn said in a false gravelly tone, clumsily twirling the heavy object in his hands, "Are you hungry? Because the Cast Iron Crusader's got a feast waiting. A feast...filled with justice!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! I had a bit of an interesting time with this chapter, and honestly, I'm mostly walking away from it a little proud of the terrible puns I've been able to throw out there. Please leave a review, I love hearing from y'all!**

* * *

The life of a hero was not an easy one. Not only did every hero face the potential for pain and injury, but even worse was the weight of responsibility. Some had made it sound easy, like true paragons of virtue they spoke of simply acting without thought. They saved the day, they fought injustice and crime, they were stalwart and brave.

If Lynn decided to be honest with his situation, he'd reveal the terror that had bubbled up in his throat. No one had ever told him just how _scary_ this kind of thing could get!

The man stood dumbfounded and shaking in the center of a large laboratory. On all sides, glowing beakers and beeping machines kept him in a constant state of anxiety. Why the heck did he think he'd be able to handle a rescue mission? And against a real-life supervillain?!

Stumbling and clumsy, he forced his feet to take the necessary steps forward, reminding himself that he was already there in the thick of it all. Continuing his search around the room, hoping to find the victim soon, he once again attempted to follow the events that had led him to this place.

* * *

"Are you sure you'll be okay on your own?" Rita said, readjusting the backpack hanging off of her shoulder.

"I'm positive, you don't need to worry about me," Lynn said, tossing a large number of diapers and various sets of clothing in the baby bag. The girls had been better, but Luan was nowhere near ready to potty train and Luna still had her accidents.

"You won't be lonely?" Rita said, some slight concern in her voice, "You know we've been all set for money ever since I started going out again. Especially after Katherine left for that Great Lakes League, better publicity and all that."

"I know, Rita, but I just feel like I've been..." Lynn searched for the words as he packed away Lori's fake phone, Leni's blanket, Luna's radio and Luan's bottle, "I don't know...like it's just been nothing but taking care of the girls for a while."

"Well, we _are_ parents," Rita said as she felt a grin creep onto her face, "I hear that's usually a full-time job."

"I know, I know," Lynn said, waving his hand through the air in hope of finding the proper way to say it, "It's just that I'd like to be able to work a bit again. You know, get out of the house. Maybe even start saving up in case..."

"In case we have another?" Rita said, poking her husband in the chest with a teasing expression. Lynn felt his cheeks redden.

"W-well, you never know!" Lynn said, trying not to sound so flustered, "It's just, it's already feeling crowded in this apartment, a-and I thought we might want to look at getting someplace a bit...roomier?"

"I think you're just looking for an excuse to try for another one, stud," Rita said, and her smile grew wider as her husband grew more unbalanced.

"I-I would never!" Lynn said, then muttered, "...well not so elaborately anyways..."

"I'm just teasing, sweetie," Rita said as she leaned over to her husband and kissed him. Lynn relaxed from the brief embrace, grabbing hold of Rita's hands before they parted. Lynn smiled at her, running his thumb over her fingers affectionately.

"I know you still want to be close to the city, in case of an emergency. But I think it'd be good for the girls to have some place where they could finally be a bit more active, really stretch their legs. Heh, literally in Luan's case."

Rita shook her head at the bad pun, but she did agree with the idea. "I know, and if this job ends up being good for you then we can start looking. Just don't overwork yourself, okay? I'll still need you for a while."

"I promise I won't," Lynn said, pulling his wife in for another big hug.

"Alright, we should get going. I need to get the girl's over to my father's soon if I'm going to make the conference on time. I still can't believe AEGIS is trying to set up another base all the way out here."

"They've been popping up all over, especially after they began that weird soldier program."

"And people wonder why I wanted them to stay away from Royal Woods. They were looking for child volunteers, you know. They thought they'd be more 'adaptable' to the procedure. Honestly..."

Lynn nodded and patted Rita's hands, picking up the bag filled with their daughters' various essentials. "Girls! It's time to get going!" he called out to them.

Leni was the first one out, though she wasn't exactly _prepared._ Currently wrapped up in various pieces of clothing, she once again had decided to simply float herself out along the hall instead of adjusting any of the articles she wore. The pair of adults couldn't help but roll their eyes as Leni looked to them, her doe-eyed expression obscured as she wore a dress and two shirts, having only pulled them past her eye line.

"Leni, we talked about this, if you need help getting dressed you should ask us," Rita said, but Leni shook her head.

"But I like these ones," the young girl said simply.

"Yes, we know, but you can't get all of your clothes dirty. And you don't even have them on all the way!" Lynn said, kneeling down and beginning to pull the extra pieces off.

"But I can, like, see?" Leni said innocently. Rita almost laughed, three years old and Leni was already trying to find workarounds with simple things. She wondered if her adoptive daughter would always be such a card.

Luna and Luan both left their room together, with the older girl holding onto the still baby Luan. They were two and one now, respectively, but Luan was still having some trouble with walking. All the girls had been shaky on their feet for a time, but Luan had a tendency to...unwind a bit.

"There you two are, ready to go to Pop-Pop's?" Rita asked, leaving her husband to readjust the remaining clothes for Leni.

"Yes," Luna said simply, and Luan made a happy giggle in response. Rita was happy they had been able to stop wearing those earpieces as Luna gained more control over her abilities. She still lapsed into accidental bleed off whenever she got excited or fussy, but Luna was learning to speak quickly and with it seemed to understand when to use her gift.

"Where's your older sister?" Rita asked, and was happy when Luan piped up.

"Phone!" the youngest girl said, pointing a chubby finger at Lori and Leni's room. Rita raised an eyebrow, then looked back at her husband. He had just finished adjusting the lavender colored dress over Leni as he looked back to his wife.

"What is something wrong? Did I rip the back on Leni's spine ridges?"

"I have lime bridges?" Leni asked, turning her head and beginning to spin in a circle, attempting to see this new feature of hers.

"Oh, your father's only teasing you, Leni. Lynn, do you have your new cell phone?"

"Of course I do! It's right..." Lynn patted the sides of his pants and, when he found nothing in either of his pockets, got a panicked look on his face, "Oh no! I can't have lost that thing, we still have so many payments on it!"

As she watched her husband begin to frantically dig through all the kitchen drawers and couch cushions, she called out to her oldest child. "Lori! Can you come out here, please?"

There were a few minutes before Lori stepped out of her room, leaving enough time to get Luna into her shoes and adjust the onesie Luan wore. As Lori did make her way down the hall, Rita noted that her attention seemed to be elsewhere as she held the simple flip phone up to her ear. "Lori, sweetie, can you give your father his phone?"

"Oh! Lori had it?" Lynn said as Rita heard the oven door close, "Well that makes way more sense than cooking it with last night's roast."

Lori stepped up to her mother and snapped the phone shut, handing it up to Rita. "There's a lot of people talking on dad's phone." She said simply, though it gave Rita pause. Her husband didn't have any contacts, and as she quickly opened the phone she found no log of calls. Shrugging her shoulders, she figured that perhaps her daughter was simply playing make-believe.

"Well let's get your shoes on sweetie, we need to be going soon. Mommy's got a meeting in an hour and Pop-Pop gets very chatty when we go to visit." The whole family began to gather together all of their final necessities, and Luan played her same joke. As Rita took the baby's hand and made her way to the door, she heard the faint giggle still coming from down the hall.

Turning back, Rita saw once again Luan sat flat on the floor ten feet away, and the tiny baby arm still in Rita's grasp stretched between the two points. Lynn took notice and hopped behind Luan.

"Don't worry honey, I've got her!" he said, wrapping his finger under her armpits. Hoisting her up, he quickly realized her tiny midsection also elongated, and her rear was still sat firmly on the floor. Luan giggled happily, saying her favorite and most frequent words.

"Geddit, geddit?" Luan said joyously between giggles.

"Oh dear, Luna? Can you come help daddy?" Lynn asked as he slowly set Luan back down, the young girl's torso returning to shape.

"Yes, dad!" Luna said, skipping over. Everyone instinctually plugged their ears up except for Luan, and Luna leaned down to eye level with her younger sister.

The first act the young empath performed was scrunching up her face. She began humming out an unpracticed little growl, the reverberations seeming almost visible as she evoked her abilities. This specific kind of trick she had done often when Luan decided to play silly.

Luan slowly lost her giggly expression as Luna spoke, and began to take on a grumpy and defensive one instead. The young brunette suddenly curled her knees up into her chest, and Rita felt the girls hand snap out from her grasp as she drew herself into a solid and guarded ball.

Poking her younger sister, Luna stopped the more gravelly tone and instead began to hum out a lullaby, watching as Luan once again shifted away from the tiny glare. As Luan's eyes began to droop, Luna turned back and waved at the rest of her family, who unplugged their ears. Lynn reached back down and picked up the now sleepy baby, still solid though her limbs stretched slightly under their own weight.

"Thank you, Luna, what would we do without you?" Rita said.

"Probably have a noodle for a sister," Lori said quietly, though Leni giggled at that.

"You silly, noodles are food, not family!" Leni said, then paused in thought. "Right?"

"Yes, you're right Leni," Lynn confirmed, fussing up his alien daughter's hair. Holding Luan in his left arm and hoisting the final bag over his right, he nodded to his wife. "All set to go, honey."

The group of six slowly made their way down the hall to the elevator of their apartment building, pausing briefly as other residents gave their usual congratulations to Rita for her work as Anesthesia. Even though she would say they were in a rush, it still took an additional ten minutes to make it out of the building and down into the family Van.

Lynn adjusted the girls into their various car seats and booster seats, making sure everyone was safely secured. Rita sat in the driver's seat before turning her attention back to her husband.

"Good luck with the interview, honey. I hope it goes well!"

"Thanks, and good luck keeping that super-powered militia out of our town!"

The van rolled out of the parking lot next to their apartment building and quickly disappeared down the road. Lynn exhaled, letting the slightly nervous expression return to his face.

It had truly been years since Lynn had held down a job, despite the fact he kept checking the help wanted ads since before Luna was born. It hadn't been necessary as Rita's superhero work kept the entire family well off and well insured. There had been those times where funds were tight, like when Vanzilla's engine block rotted through its bottom, but they'd made it work.

However, given their current track record, Lynn wasn't entirely confident that they'd be done with children yet. He loved every one of his daughters, of course, but the apartment was beginning to become cramped again. What about when the girls grew up, or what if they ended up having another brother or sister?

No, Lynn needed to try earning a salary and saving up. If he worked hard and they stuck to a tight budget, then they'd be able to by a real house for the girl's to grow up in. They could develop and play, and eventually, they'd even have their own rooms!

Lynn made his way back up to the apartment, adjusting the t-shirt he had on. He should first worry about a shower, no way he was going to get a position if he showed up smelling of sweat and baby food.

What came next threw Lynn for a massive loop. As he cracked open the door, Lynn took notice of the small buzzing sound coming from the living room. He rolled his eyes, he must've left his phone lying around yet again. No wonder Lori kept getting a hold of it, he thought to himself.

Stepping over to the couch and reaching in between the cushions, his fingers brushed the against the erratically buzzing box. Lynn would have questioned the odd pattern in vibrations or the fact that it seemed a tad bit smaller compared to his cellular device, but that all died on his tongue as he recognized the small teal box he held.

It was Rita's personal distress signal. The same one she had received after she had begun her hero work again. "Oh no...!" Lynn said aloud, realizing this likely meant something major was going on. Slamming his hands against his pockets, Lynn cursed as he realized his phone truly wasn't on him. He'd have to have a serious talk with Lori later, but for now…

Lynn was unsure what to do. He had no way of getting a hold of Rita, and he knew that the communicator sending out this SOS meant whatever this was had to be urgent. Hesitating for a moment, Lynn finally pressed his thumb against the side of the small box and listened for the message.

"Ann!" said a hushed voice that Lynn recognized as the hero Collagen. His voice came across in a hushed panic. "Rita! God, I hope you're getting this, I'm in worse than my last family reunion..."

"Stan!" Lynn said aloud, fumbling with the buttons on the side of the small box. Dang, it, he had no idea how to send a return message, "Stan it's Lynn! I'm here, what's wrong?! Oh darn this thing!"

"Listen, Lori or Leni or whoever's holding this," the hushed voice continued, and Lynn realized that the hushed tones sounded less like whispers and more like exhausted breaths, "Get Rita, tell her something bad's happening. Tell her it's the GM, he's got me in a bad way...Tell her..."

The small voice ended as Lynn still fumbled fruitlessly to return a message through the simple device. At that moment, panicked and afraid were nowhere near enough to describe his feelings. The quiet pain that Collagen was going through made Lynn's gut drop right out.

Trying to think quick, Lynn ran through any way he could possibly contact his wife. Landline? No, they had gotten rid of it after they acquired their cell phones. One of his neighbors? Unlikely, he knew that most of the other residents on his floor were gone for the day. Maybe…

Lynn shook his head, it was too stupid. Too harebrained. Even if he was able to find where Collagen was being held, he wasn't prepared for anything like this! He hadn't even practiced the self-defense techniques he learned in years!

But still, maybe…

Lynn fully understood that he must have been crazy. This must've just been his wishful thinking, and he knew that it'd likely just make things worse!

But no matter how many times he tried to discourage himself, he couldn't help but think that if he did nothing when his friend was surely going to be lost. Despite requests for hero transfers from nearby agencies, it had been just Collagen and Anesthesia doing hero work. Any help that had been sent out left due to the lacking of a supervillain presence.

On shaking feet, Lynn briefly debated whether he should just go to that interview and simply ask to use the phone beforehand. He could show up early, try to find help, still mind his own business and let his wife and the police handle the situation. He didn't _have_ to get involved.

Despite all that, as Lynn hefted up one of his heavy cart iron pans and made for the closet holding his unrefined attempts at a costume, he realized he _wanted_ to get involved. It was stupid, he knew, but the adrenaline that had begun to fill his system dulled his reason. It was time to be a hero.

* * *

Standing ankle deep in the putrid waters of the sewerage system, Lynn was finally coming down from his adrenal high.

_What _on _Earth _was he _doing?!_

Lynn trudged deeper into the winding tunnels of the city's underground, adjusting the scrappy mask he wore. Honestly, it was just a bandana he had pulled over his eyes and cut holes through to see. The black and blue sweatshirt he wore on top of matching sweatpants felt easy to move in but were finally beginning to feel less than professional. He really debated just running himself back up to street level and deciding on calling proper authorities.

However, the haggard cough that he heard the faintest echo of sent a shock through his body. Hoisting up the heavy pan and holding it before him, half wielding the weapon and half shielding himself behind, he began to run along the underground pathways.

"Collagen!" Lynn called out, heavy splashing sounds filling the cavernous tunnels he snaked his way through. He cursed at his lack of a flashlight, squinting in the darkness as he said, "Stan! Call out or something, buddy, I'm down here!"

Another set of coughs, closer by still. Lynn thought he heard some groaned out words but couldn't quite discern what they had been. He actually heard more splashing and hoped beyond words that his family's friend had heard him and was making his way to his voice.

It was much too late before Lynn realized the speed of those splashes had to have been too quick for such a diminished voice. As Lynn rounded the corner, what he saw was not the muscular bone covered form of the hero Collagen. Instead, he saw the faint dark outline of some half humanoid, half many-legged monstrosity looming over him.

"Well well, what have we...hey!" That was all the words the hulking figure got out before Lynn swung the heavy pan like a baseball bat. The side of the tool connected with where Lynn approximated the torso should have been, and the solid crack against the almost snakelike figure helped him feel satisfied in his attempt.

Within seconds, though, the figure was scuttling itself around in the water, coiling itself and spitting out expletives. "Dammit!" said the figure, pain, and anger filling its tone, "Can't let a guy get out a solid starter?!"

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Lynn exclaimed, holding the cast iron skillet up between the two of them. "Please don't hurt me!"

Lynn heard some guttural sound, followed by another clang of metal. Feeling the recoil travel up his arms, Lynn realized that this person had hit or maybe bit down hard on his weapon! The pain filled muttering of, "What the fuck, my fucking teeth!" confirmed it, and Lynn felt the slightest bit of confidence return to him.

"W-well, I'd say that _panned out_ for me!" He said, a bit more lively.

"The hell did you just say?!" The figure yelled out, still sheathed in darkness.

"Ah!" Lynn yelled in response, hearing the explosion of water as his enemy rushed for him once again. "I'm sorry!" Lynn instinctually tried to bring the pan up to shield his face, curling his body in on itself.

That was when he felt what had been the most solid connection so far. Hearing a crack and a strained, "Oof!" Lynn fell to his side as he felt the weight of whatever this thing was suddenly weigh him down.

Lynn yelled as he felt not only the wait but the twitching of many segmented legs against his body. Dropping his weapon to the side and placing his bare hands against the seemingly unconscious figure, and felt what he could only guess was some hard armor or...exoskeleton?

His stomach dropping at that thought, he quickly pushed the form the rest of the way off of himself and scrambled away. "Oh dang, oh gross, oh man, oh no!" Lynn said aloud, grabbing up the metal pan and rushing down the closest opening, not bothering to check and see if the creature was truly dealt with.

Rushing down the hallways, Lynn realized he saw a single passageway with the faintest bit of light in it. Praying this would be the end of this unprepared adventure of his, Lynn threw himself through the doorway and pressed himself against a wall, still peering out into the sewer tunnels.

"Holy crap..." came a strained voice from within the room, and Lynn turned to see where it originated. "That you, Lynn...?"

Before him was Collagen, the hero who so often was covered in a layer of super tough bone armor. Now, though, Lynn only saw the man's torso and lower body covered in the bony protrusions, his arms and head both uncovered. He was strapped down to a makeshift examination table, with an IV connected to one of his arms. Judging by the dark red liquid filling the bag next to the man, Lynn guessed his blood had been forcefully drawn.

"Stan!" Lynn called out, rushing over to his hurt friend, "Oh my gosh man, what has he done to you?"

"Lynn? Seriously, what's going on...where's Rita...?" The large man said. He looked paler than he usually did, with Lynn noting the man's usual mohawk had been shaved away.

"Oh, uh..." Lynn stammered as he undid the belts on the man's limbs, freeing him from the binds, "Well...she forgot her communicator at home, and I happened to, um...get the message?"

"What happened to long, dark, and skulking...?" Stan asked, pushing himself up to a sitting position and looking around.

"Oh, the scary guy..?" Lynn said, trying his best to support the much larger and heavier man. "Eheh, well I think I..._pan_dled the situation?"

Lynn shook motioned to the large frying pan he had laid down next to the table, before letting out a light cough when the more experienced hero simply stared at him with disbelief. "Uh, sorry, probably not the best time for that, huh?"

"You took that freak on by yourself?" Stan asked in wonder, and the small light given off by the weak lightbulb overhead let Lynn see the impressed expression on his friend's face.

Standing a bit taller, Lynn nodded his head. "Yeah, I suppose I did!" he said confidently, before yelping loudly as he heard the sound of clattering metal from somewhere outside the room. Stan cursed under his breath.

"That's GMO, he's already back. Listen, Lynn..." Stan said, clasping his hand onto Lynn's shoulder, "I don't know everything, but I heard that maniac has some new experiment going on down here. Whatever it is, he'd got in the next room..." At this, the man stood himself up on weak feet and pointed a finger to the back corner of their current room, indicating a large metal door.

"Whatever it is we need to know at the very least. I really hate sending you in there, but..." grimacing, Stan took a small step towards the door, and Lynn saw the bony protrusions begin to poke through his arms and around his head once again. "We can't let him finish up whatever's happening. Figure out what it is, and tell Rita. Don't do anything stupid."

Lynn would have given an indignant look, after all, he _was_ the one pulling the rescue off here, but he let the sentiment die in his thought as he made his way to the door. He may have been handling himself slightly better than anticipated, but he knew for a fact he didn't want to tangle with a real-life supervillain today.

Lynn hefted his frying pan and flung the metal door open, rushing inside and forcing himself to not look back at his weakened friend.

* * *

Ah, that's right, that's how he found himself in this position.

Lynn cursed himself, he was turning out to be such a glory hound. If he had just done the sensible thing and tried to contact the police, none of this would have happened! He'd be safe in a job interview, and properly trained individuals would be handling this situation!

Peering through the various beakers and test tubes filled with strange liquids, ranging from neon greens to irony reds, Lynn searched for any sign of some strange experiment. He saw no Frankenstein's monster or strange hybridization like he might have expected after all that was the GMO's usual plan.

Lynn was admittedly happy he kept up with some of the superhero worlds, otherwise, he never would have found Collagen in all those tunnels. The apparent villain of the day was the Genetically Modifying Overlord, who everyone thankfully shortened down to the GMOverlord.

He was some scientist that had worked in the field of bio-genetic engineering in the '80s when supers had first started to pop up. He had been a master in his field of super biology. That is until he began to exclusively experiment on the mutants of society. Those who had been physically transformed and altered, the GMOverlord began studying to learn how to properly alter and splice DNA to create his own crazed experimentations.

Lynn shuddered, that likely helped to explain the insectoid man he had to deal with back there. He'd hate to find what else was down here. Or find out what terrifying new experiment this guy had cooking up…

As he moved between the various shelves and tables littered with scientific equipment, Lynn's attention was quickly drawn to the metal door he had come in through. There was the sound of thrashing and banging from the other side, with muffled voices calling out. Distracted by the sound, Lynn didn't notice until it was too late that he knocked over one of the various vials that laid upon the nearby table.

Lynn quickly made a grab for it, but it was too late. The sound of shattering glass and splashing liquid had him gritting his teeth, eyes scrunched as he tried desperately to hear some sign of intrusion. Still, the same sounds outside and Lynn found himself thanking Stan over and over in his mind.

Looking down at the damage he had caused, he realized that the vial must have been one of the ones with a sample of blood in it. Feeling his stomach bottom out, Lynn quickly knew two things. One, he was not going to be able to find this experiment in time, and two, they were going to realize someone had gotten in here with this kind of a mess.

Unless…

There was only one thing Lynn thought of that could save his skin. Feeling queasy already, Lynn looked around for two specific items. Thankfully, both were easy in the makeshift laboratory setting. Rushing to the other side of the room, Lynn snatched up an empty vial comparable to the broken one and a syringe that Lynn severely hoped was sterile.

Rolling up his sleeve, Lynn attempted to stick himself in the arm and draw blood from himself. After he felt the terrible feeling of fruitlessly stabbing his arm, he finally forced himself to look as he fruitlessly jabbed at his arm. It still took a few attempts, but eventually, he saw the telltale signs of ruby red liquid filling the syringe.

Lynn drew enough blood to feel light-headed, though that admittedly wouldn't have been much, to begin with, and quickly emptied the contents of the syringe into the vial. Still feeling sick, Lynn placed the vial in the previously empty spot and quickly brushed the broken bits of glass away on the floor. Finally, he pushed himself to hide behind a small stack of boxes nearby the door as he heard the door click open.

"Well that was more trouble than I would have liked," said a small and reedy voice, and from his position, by the door, Lynn was able to tell it was the GMOverlord. He was short, wearing a simple acid green lab coat and wearing purple goggles, his slightly grayed blond hair sticking out in odd angles. Perhaps it was the scuffle he heard outside.

"Told you, you shouldn't have let Centi-Peter handle guard duty," said a second, gruffer voice. Lynn saw the hulking form of some overly hairy individual, carrying around a large lead pipe. They looked like a sasquatch mixed with a severely overbuilt bodybuilder.

"Yes, I'm afraid you might be right, Lion. We will have to discuss this matter with him once he returns from wherever he has run off to." The small scientist made his way to the other end of the room, and Lynn peered around the boxes he hid behind. The metal door was left ajar, and Lynn saw the form of Collagen laid flat on the floor. This might be his only chance…

"However, we are on the precipice of completing our task," GMO said, tapping away at a key panel next to a large metal tube that Lynn had largely ignored. Lynn had begun to tiptoe out of his hiding position...when he saw it.

When he saw _them_.

As the villain tapped on the keyboard, the metal tube dropped down into the floor, the entire room illuminating after the reveal of the chamber held within. Peering across the room, Lynn bit his tongue to keep from gasping.

Inside the chamber, there was a fetus, a developing child that looked fully formed and floating in the glowing goo that surrounded it. As he stared, frozen to the spot, he saw the scientist hold his hand out to the larger individual. "Let's start with that brute Collagen's sample, it will aid the subjects strength and defensive capabilities."

The large figure leaned on the metal pipe it held, handing the bag of blood Lynn had seen drawn from Stan's body. Gulping, he saw the scientist siphon the bag into a small blinking box connected to the chamber. Slowly, he saw a tube that ran from that box's location into the form of the small infant fill with a much brighter colored fluid.

"Why're we waiting on yours again, boss?" The hulking figure asked with an eyebrow raised. GMO shook his head, looking exasperated at the need to explain.

"Because, my dear Dandy Lion, I have built this child from scratch," he said, matter-of-factly, "And while it is certainly capable of serving a function now...well, call me sentimental, but I'd like the next step for humanity to be based off my DNA."

Lynn's eyebrows shot up, disgusted by the tone and the intention this megalomaniac had for this baby. His eyes grew even wider, though, and he saw the man grab a vial off a nearby table. The same vial that Lynn had replaced mere moments before.

"The final DNA mix will be the one imprinting the most on the child," the scientist continued, focused entirely on the chamber before him, "And while it has gained various super abilities like enhanced strength or durability, it will be most connected to my DNA. Then all we'll need to do is artificially age my perfect little soldier, and she'll be the mother of humanities next stage."

Well, that tore it. This guy went from mildly evil and crazed to a straight up asshole. Looking back to the metal door, Lynn steeled himself for what he would next do. Holding his large metal pan close to him, he began to creep along the room.

"Whatever you say, doc," Lion said, still watching his employer as he once again entered the vial of blood and tapped out a new command on the board. The big brute watched as once again bright red blood flowed through and into the form of the small child, though this time significantly more of it. Slowly, Lion watched as the fetus rapidly went through slight changes, completing its development and slightly altering its bone structure. It even gained a small amount of hair, and it was...brown?

"What the…?" GMO began, looking down at the now empty vial in his hand, "No, no! Brunette, no one in my family had brown hair. Lion! You great buffoon, did you switch the samples?!"

The GMOverlord turned himself around and saw his Dandy Lion experiment before him. That would have been all well and good, except he currently stood their unconscious, and an unfashionably dressed man standing behind him. "Who in sam hell are..." The villain was interrupted by a large metal pan across the face, sending him reeling and bouncing on the ground.

"Sorry, you kid controlling hybrid making sicko, but you're..." Lynn paused for effect, "...under _a-roast!_"

Pausing for a moment, Lynn deflated. "Alright, that one kinda stunk..." he admitted to himself before he quickly made his way to the chamber. There was no way he was letting this kid stay down here with this freak for a second longer.

Once again using the pan, Lynn skipped the attempts to play around on the keyboard and instead decided to smash it up good and proper. Thankfully, the chamber opened up following the act, the fluid draining inside and the young baby slowly drifting and lying on the bottom of the chamber. Very carefully, Lynn scooped the child up and carefully made his way out of the chamber, all the while hushing and holding onto the tiny bundle.

"It's okay," he whispered to the already sleeping child, feeling their chest heave against his arm as it breathed, "Don't worry, junior, it'll be okay..."

* * *

When Rita had finished with the conference, slightly steamed at the proposals AEGIS had been trying to make, she was surprised to see the manhole cover in front of City Hall pop open. Even more surprising was when her colleague Collagen popped out, struggling through the small opening and...was he holding a frying pan?

The final event was most surprising though, and she saw the blue and black sweatsuit ensemble, the terrible attempt at a mask and the familiar if ruined shoes. "Lynn?" Rita said, pushing her way over to him.

Lynn whipped himself around and smiled brightly, looking positively relieved. "Oh my gosh, Rita!" he said, walking briskly towards her. Rita would have found it odd, but then she saw the bundle in his arm…

"Oh dear, honey?" Rita said, pointing to the tiny nude being in his arms, "Um, who is that?"

Lynn paused, looking down to the newborn girl. Thinking he didn't have a much better opportunity, and thinking on how she was mostly his DNA and the rest was a hodgepodge of different superheroes, Lynn said what he had always somewhat hoped to call one of his children.

"Honey, this is Lynn Loud, Jr.," he said, holding the small girl up for his wife to see, "And she was just saved by the Cast Iron Crusader!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Wow! The response to the previous chapter was really heartwarming, I'm so glad to be getting so many reviews so quickly for this!**

**Special shout outs going to allanarcher777, for placing my story into the Kids with Capes community and consistently showing love in the reviews! And definitely, love to all your guest reviewers that take the time to comment and review as well, you guys make me smile whenever I see a new review pop up! Until the next chapter!**

* * *

To call it a fixer-upper was, in truth, a little generous. There were obvious patches of rotted wood on the front porch, the white paint was flaking off the sides of the house, and the tour through was punctuated by creaking wood and holes in the floor.

And yet, this was going to be home for the Louds. Not now, of course, as the condition it was in was truly terrible. After all, the selling price had been well below what an average home sold for in the suburbs of Royal Woods. It would be some time before this place was safe and prepared for the kids, but with seven children cooped up in a tiny apartment, what else could Lynn Sr. do?

He shook his head, still reeling at the sheer magnitude of his family at this point. They had just had little Lucy a few months prior, and the parents thanked their lucky stars that she was turning out quiet. They loved their children dearly, but between the shifts with their work and their children discovering their individual voices, it was well past a handful. And that was without them learning new abilities…

Walking back down the driveway to Vanzilla, Lynn was running through various plans in his head for the restoration of this monster. He knew that Stan would likely help out, especially now that he had retired from the hero business. Lynn grinned at the memory as he pulled the van out and down the road.

"How am I gonna show my face out there?" Stan had said on his first visit after the GMO incident, "You've seen the papers, Loud. 'Collagen saved by new hero: The Cast Iron Crusader!' Heh, I'd be a laughing stock now!"

Recalling the memory, Lynn couldn't help but shake his head. Stan could claim all he wanted that it was due to embarrassment, but the real reason had been obvious when a week later the Stankco family announced they'd be having a baby.

Overhead clouds were gathering as the sky grew dark and heavy with rain. It was likely they'd be dealing with some poor weather, and he truly hoped that he wouldn't be called in. There were enough new heroes to cover, and Lynn would appreciate some time around his family.

Turning the radio on, and letting the quiet tones of some jazz station play, he pondered how mixed up and chaotic his life was becoming. Luna had been taking to music quite well, and Luan was turning out to have the best sense of humor in Lynn's opinion. Lori had ceased her arguments with Leni, thank goodness, though she certainly pulled the 'oldest' card rather quickly.

While his older children came more into their own, he appreciated and loved the younger ones in their clumsy fashion. Lynn Jr. was certainly more active, and he was truly appreciative that her artificial abilities made her so much hardier. He did wish that she was more careful with her enhanced strength, but trying to lecture a five-year-old was fruitless. And then there was Lucy and Lincoln…

As the first few drops of rain hit against the windshield, Lynn felt his communicator buzz. He groaned, he _was_ happy to be a hero but…well it certainly did keep him busy. Though he couldn't quite complain, after all, how would he and Rita afford seven children without their well paying hero salaries?

Lynn clicked the side of the communicator, answering the beacon with a "This is CIC, what's going on out there?"

"Ah, Mr. Loud, glad to catch you," said the female voice through the communicator. It was Schoffner, the officer working dispatch with the heroes of the city. "We were hoping you'd be able to act as a relief hero for the rest of the afternoon today."

"Again?" Lynn asked, not appreciating the sounds of water hitting metal that surrounded him, "This is the third time this week, aren't Hunter and Sue on duty today?"

"Yes, but..." the communicator was silent for a moment, before firing back to life, "...Well, you know how Sue can be. We've gotten requests from civilians to have another hero out there, it'll make them feel safer. And it's overtime, so..."

"I know, I get it..." Lynn pulled up to a stop sign and closed his eyes, pausing himself and knowing what his answer was going to be. Clicking the side to respond, he said, "Alright, I'll be on the streets in a half hour. I just need to grab my tools."

"Thank you, Mr. Loud." Schoffner said before the small box went completely silent.

Lynn peered at the clock and saw the time, just before noon. He'd likely be on the streets until eight at night, and most of his younger children will have been in bed by that time. He was getting tired of always getting the patrols that no one else wanted, but then again he knew he'd have to be the one to go. As the only unpowered licensed hero in the city, he was still low on the pole as it were.

Still, the perks of being a hero were nice. The recognition and the money, bumping elbows with the more famous individuals of this world. Plus the gear he had gathered was quite nice too…

Lynn pulled himself along the street leading up to his family's apartment building. He was also happy knowing that he was making the world just a bit safer for all of his kids.

He loved those brief moments when Rita was the one working and Luna and Lori would ask about his exploits. Leni would gush and try to make adjustments to his costume, and Luan tried to tell silly little jokes about the day. Lynn would play out mock battles, trying to guess what the day had been like. Of course, her mock punches packed a bigger wallop than most of the villains he'd have faced.

Lynn sighed, knowing all the older girls were still in school. They were all attending Royal Woods elementary, with varying degrees of enjoyment. They still received calls about Lynn Jr. running _through_ a door rather than opening it, or Leni cratering the ground from her constant density shifting. Lori and Luan gave no real trouble, other than Lori being caught on her phone or Luan playing pranks. Luna was a sweet girl, though they had been contacted with concerns about her lack of interaction at school…

He'd think on all that later, though. Making his way up in the elevator, Lynn made his way to the door of the family's apartment. As he pushed inside, he heard the familiar noise of his only son leading a play rescue.

"Pow! Bam!" came Lincoln's excited little voice. Lynn stepped through the door and past the small hallway, looking into the living room. There he saw little two-year-old Lincoln, sat on the floor with two dinosaur and robot toys. The young boy wore a minuscule orange shirt, and like usual was sans pants. His white, nearly translucent hair bobbed lightly and Lynn debated whether the boy needed a trim. Stepping in, Lincoln looked up and beamed brightly.

"Dad!" the young boy called out, taking ungraceful steps over and hugging his father around the legs.

"Hey, kiddo!" Lynn said, kneeling down and picking his boy up. Lincoln giggled in his grasp, peering all around the room from that height. "How's my little man doing?"

"I fighting the hyplosaur!" Lincoln said, clapping and waving his arms about. Lincoln hadn't quite gotten the hang of speech yet, but the stumbles were mostly minor nowadays.

"What was that Lincoln?" came a voice from down the hall, before Lynn saw Rita exit their bedroom, "I had to change Lucy, I...oh!" Rita stopped in her tracks, smiling at her husband. "Oh honey, I saw the report on the internet. I thought you were taking up overtime today?"

Lynn placed Lincoln down, holding him steady as the young boy took heavy steps back to his discarded toys. "I did, I just needed to grab my gear first."

"Honestly, honey, you really should bring those things to the station. Then you wouldn't need to make all these trips around!" Rita said, and adjusted the docile baby in her arms. Lucy seemed to peer towards her father, though the small grey beanie that she wore hung over her eyes as usual.

"I know, I know," Lynn said, rubbing the back of his head, "I just like showing off for the kids, you know?"

"Oh, I do..." Rita said, smirking and raising an eyebrow, "That's why you still do all that shadow boxing at night. For the kids, yeah?"

"Hey! I showed you my routine in confidence!" Lynn said, looking around himself.

"Don't worry, Lucy's not gonna remember mommy saying that..." Rita said, lightly poking Lucy's nose. The baby gave no indication of reaction, still just staring through her headpiece. "And Lincoln's back in his little world, see?"

Sure enough, the young white haired boy was back to his game of make-believe. The two toys battled each other in mid-air, with Lincoln's eyes darting around and filling in all the sound effects himself.

"He sure loves all the superhero business. Reminds me of when I was a boy," Lynn said, "I'm sure he'll want to be a hero just like us."

"We've talked about that, honey," Rita said, giving her husband a skeptical look, "No hero talk for the kids any time soon. Especially not Lincoln."

"Oh come on, honey!" Lynn said, making his way into the kitchen. He kept most of his gear in his favorite room of the apartment. Soon enough he'd have an actual full kitchen of his own, just as soon as he could dedicate the time to putting it together. "Every one of our kids has abilities, and Lincoln's still young!"

"We took him to those specialists, sweetie. You remember what they said," Rita replied as she adjusted Lucy, moving into the kitchen as well to grab one of her bottles. "There was no sign of any dormant mutations or anything. The craziest was his hair, a harmless little shift. I think our little man's just gonna be normal."

"He could still be a hero like that!" Lynn said, stripping off the light hoodie and replacing it with the black and blue jacket, the stylized CIC initials on the left breast of the clothing. Grabbing the sunglasses he kept as part of the outfit, he took hold of his skillet and held it at his side. "After all, what would you call me?"

"Lincoln doesn't have all the gear those big tech companies have been sending you." Rita pointed out before she made her way out of the room and calling back over her shoulder, "Hold on for one minute, honey, I'll walk down with you. I need to run a few errands, just let me get Lucy ready."

Lynn adjusted the skillet, feeling the weight and balance of it. His newer crime-fighting weapon was a bit more balanced and thankfully wouldn't lead to as many concussions. As much as he enjoyed his original, it was a bit more destructive than a street-level hero should be. The older man tapped the side of the sunglasses, seeing clearly through them as he flicked through the various vision settings.

"Alright, honey, we're all set to go." Rita stood by the door a few moments later, Lucy strapped securely into her stroller while Lincoln bounced on his feet nearby.

"Arcade!" the young boy cried out, though he quieted as Rita patted his head.

"No arcade today, sweetie. Mommy's gotta be back for when your older sisters get home."

"Awww..." Lincoln reached his hand up to hold onto the side of the stroller, knowing he had to stay close by.

"Alright, let's head out. I heard Sue's keeping people on edge down there," Lynn said, opening the door for his wife and children and closing it behind them.

The four family members all made their way down, the air filled with the light noises of Lincoln commenting on everything he saw or saying small words like "Cat!" or "Flower!" Soon enough, they were outside, moving along the sidewalks towards the shopping district a few blocks over.

The way there was punctuated by various individuals laying out praise and offering high fives and handshakes to the Cast Iron Crusader. Many others nervously greeted the hero Anesthesia, seemingly starstruck by Rita, and gushing over the young children of the pair. Despite all the powers and heroes in the world, Lynn still enjoyed how Royal Woods residents still mostly found any hero to be amazing. Larger cities like Halcyon or Placidville had long since adapted to this sort of thing, and it took some truly impressive feats to impress the residents there.

"So what was on your agenda today, hun?" Lynn asked as he peered over the gathered crowds. The displays on the glasses kept him informed of any registered criminals, though thankfully nothing had popped up.

"Oh, nothing too crazy," Rita replied, readjusting Lincoln as his eyes wandered to passing stores, "Some batteries for Lori, some fabric for Leni, and I need to deposit a check at the bank."

"You should get Luan those extra whoopie cushions she's been asking for!" Lynn said, directing his attention back to his wife, "She passed that pop quiz the other day, didn't she?"

"She's in first grade, dear, and you know she'd just use it to play those jokes on her classmates!"

"Oh, she's just trying to live a little!"

"Planes!" Lincoln called out, pointing his finger high in the sky. Above them flew three crafts, though they were nothing like a typical plane or jet. Each vessel was a bright silvery blue and shaped like a teardrop, multiple high powered lights flashing on the underside. Lynn quickly clicked the side of his high tech glasses, zooming them in on the vessels but unable to find any registered symbol to check against the city's database.

"Not planes, Lincoln, those are space ships!" Rita told her son, whose eyes lit with even more amazement. Following the path of the three ships, noting they seemed to be descending. "That's odd, those look like Oktil ships. Don't they usually stick by the great lakes or the coastlines?"

"Yeah, and they usually are pretty good about signaling their visits. I don't know..." Lynn pondered, and as he realized that the chips were heading towards the town park, he made his decision. "Sweetie, I'm going to go check this out, it's probably just a misunderstanding. Probably some teen aliens one a sightseeing tour again."

"Well just be careful, sweetie. I still need your help if we're gonna renovate that house ourselves." Rita pecked her husband on the cheek, patting his shoulder. "Go handle yourself, and don't forget to use the comm's translator."

"I won't!" Lynn called back, already jogging down the sidewalk. Rita had to admit, while she missed Lynn Sr. being around the house to help with the kids, she did appreciate how active hero work kept her husband. And she knew from the years on duty how capable he was nowadays.

"Is dad gonna fight?" Lincoln said, tugging on his mother's pant leg.

"No dear, I doubt there's gonna be any kind of fight," Rita said, watching her son's disappointment at the statement.

"Aw, I wanna see fights..."

Rita shook her head and patted her son on the head. "Come on, little guy, you can help mommy pick up things for your sisters."

Lincoln pouted but made his way alongside his mother and baby sister. The three followed along a similar path to Lynn, heading towards downtown and the small line of shops. They could have easily driven but the exercise was good and the two youngest Louds didn't fuss as much as others had.

Their first stop was the bank, which was thankfully a quick event. Rita simply had to drop off the checks they received from the city, accepting a few words of thanks from the teller as they went. Lincoln appreciated the stop as he walked away with two lollipops, as Lucy was still much too young for them.

"Don't have them both now, Lincoln," Rita warned, her mind swirling with the dental knowledge she had studied once upon a time, "You've still gotta take care of your baby teeth."

"But mooom..." Lincoln said, his voice drawn out pleadingly.

"No buts, mister. Not unless you want to skip dessert tonight." Rita smiled at her son's widening eyes, and he quickly stuffed the excess candy in the overalls he had been made to wear, "That's better. How's Lucy doing?"

Rita quickly leaned around the stroller, seeing Lucy lying flat on her back and her arms oddly crossed over her chest. If Rita didn't know better, she'd say Lucy looked like a small baby vampire.

"Well, you're certainly dead quiet, huh?" Rita said, lightly running her thumb over the pale baby's cheek. Lucy leaned her head against the warm bit of contact but otherwise remained quiet. "Alright, next we have to get more fabric for Leni. I still wish she'd tell us _before_ she started using her own clothes for new pieces."

The crafts store was thankfully not too far away, simply another block over. She had thankfully not heard any commotion coming from the direction of the park and assumed they had been right about the visit being benign. Hopefully, Lynn really did remember to use the translator, too often he attempted to break it down to a game of charades with visitors.

As they entered the store, the dinging of the bell above the door alerted the front desk clerk. The young man waved, before asking, "Welcome to Crafter's Barrel, anything I can help you with today?"

"Why yes, actually," Rita said, reaching out and holding onto Lincoln's hand before he could wander off, "I'm looking to get some materials for my daughter. She's a bit of an amateur fashion designer."

"Oh wow, that must be fun," said the young man, before he motioned towards the back right corner of the building, "All of our fabrics and sewing equipment is towards the back, but we should have what you need. If you need any more help, just ask!"

"Thank you, I will," Rita said appreciatively as she walked through the front of the store. She waved and nodded at the few other customers in the store, a mix of older men and women or parents with very young children like herself. Most gathered around the drawing supplies or the baking equipment, and Rita found she was the only one looking through the fabrics.

Lincoln began to get fussy as Rita ran her fingers along some of the various pieces of fabric. Should she get a lot of the same material, just in case Leni messed up? Or would it be better for multiple kinds for her daughter to compare and contrast?

"Mom…?" Lincoln said gingerly, tugging on his mother's shirt.

"One second, honey, I need figure out how many yards we should get Leni. What was good to practice with, muslin?"

"But mom..." Lincoln said, his tone sounding a bit more pleading.

"What is it, Lincoln?" Rita asked, giving her son her full attention, "Do you need to go potty?"

Lincoln shook his head, and Rita noticed that he had stood himself close to the end of the aisle. He was peering towards the front of the store, and Rita could finally begin to hear the buzz of conversation that lightly filled the building.

"I see dad!" Lincoln finally said, his tone a mix of excitement and worry. Rita's eyebrows rose high into the air and adjusting Lucy's stroller to be flush against the shelves she positioned herself next to her son.

Peering out, it was difficult to see much as all the front of the store was filled with gathered individuals gawking at something on the street. To make matters worse, she was still trying to peer past other shelves filled with products and forgotten shopping carts. However, the flashing lights and muffled pops and thuds gave her a proper idea.

Rita debated on what to do for a moment but knew she had to check. Taking hold of Lincoln's hand and rolling Lucy's stroller along, Rita made her way up to the small gathering that filled the front of the store. Pushing her way through the crowd, Rita was finally close enough to see the events out on the street.

The commotion turned out to be a battle between Lynn and Sue, and the large hulking aliens that must have been the actual inhabitants of the ships from earlier. These beasts appeared to be a strange cross between arthropod and reptile. They were each at least eight feet tall and built wide, their bodies covered in orange scales and long alligator-like maws that snapped at the air. However, despite their humanoid form each alien also sported a large pincer, similar to a crab claw, in the place of their right limb.

Rita could have groaned. "Crabodiles," she muttered under her breath. This species, unlike most of the friendly spacefaring cultures that had visited earth, was an overly territorial bunch. They always came looking for a challenge, so much so they had yet to integrate their native language into the global translator network. They were constant thorns in a hero's side and had been attacking smaller town heroes more regularly as they had been decimated in larger cities.

Watching as Sue, currently donning her Nanny Nurse costume and using her mental abilities on the public, Rita knew she should help. Hunter was likely trolling around some back alleys or abandoned warehouses, and Sue would stick to crowd control during this ordeal. Her powers were useless on anything other than humans.

Rita took her two children over to the clerk of the store, interrupting his viewing session. "Excuse me, can you watch my kids? I need to go help my husband." The tone Rita gave was practically casual, and the employee only had moments to gather a response as Rita tugged him back from the glass at the front of the store.

"Oh gosh, you're Anesthesia aren't you?!" The young man asked, eyes wide. Rita only replied with a light confirmation, making sure her kids were a fair distance away from the front. "Wow, and you're going out to fight? I thought about calling in sick, but this is awesome!"

"I'm sure it is, now please watch my children. I'm trusting you to keep them safe for now," Rita said, before kneeling down to Lincoln and Lucy's level. "Mommy's gonna go and help out your dad, okay? Be good and don't run off." Lincoln nodded, though was trying to peek over at the window still. Lucy still sat quietly but squeezed Rita's finger affectionately when it was offered.

Standing tall, Rita reached behind her and tied her hair into a ponytail, wanting her vision clear and capable. She regretted not having any of her equipment, but by her count, there were only three of these things and she'd tangled with worse. Even without her tools, Rita still knew her abilities would affect these beings enough.

Stepping out of the storefront, Rita took in the scene before her. One of the crabodiles laid heavy on a crumpled car, groaning and attempting to pick itself up. Another stood on its own, watching and waiting on the edges of the scene, looking for the opportunity to strike. Finally, Lynn stood at a standoff with the third, his skillet held like a sword in front of him while the large alien clicked its claw menacingly.

"Honey!" Rita called out, her voice carrying across the mostly abandoned road, "Need any help?"

The large alien that was embroiled in the standoff tore his eyes away from Lynn. As the heavy clang of metal hitting skull rang out, Rita was happy her husband was quick on the draw.

"Rookie move!" Lynn said, sounding a bit energized and excited. Pressing his finger against the side of his watch, the powerful magnet connected with the matching piece in the skillet. The alien was left reeling as the large metal pan flew back into Lynn's waiting hand, where he swung it around expertly. "You're some half baked warriors if you get distracted that easily!"

Rita rolled her eyes but was truly proud of her husband. He was much better at this nowadays. She quickly ran over to the groggy one laid along the car and clamped her hands against the thing's snout. Its eyes widened, but before it could struggle Lynn was already pumping the doze-inducing gas she could produce. Within seconds, its muscles relaxed and it lay motionless and peaceful.

Rita very quickly picked up on the heavy stomps that were coming her way. Peering across the street, the crabodile that had yet to intervene was rushing with murderous intent. Rita nimbly rolled out of its path, and watch it crack its head against the hard brickwork that stood behind her. Shaking its head, it attempted to follow it up with a heavy swing from its crab claw that cracked the concrete Rita had stood in moments before.

Lynn parried and knocked away most of the advancing shots taken at him by his opponent. He was thankful of all the properties that had been worked into his newest frying pan, including the built-in magnet and shock absorbing material. It wasn't _technically_ cast iron anymore but...well he figured he could let that slide.

Lynn dodged under a wild left hook the reptilian alien threw at him and countered with an uppercut from his pan. The large assailant staggered back, looking angrier with each passing moment.

"What's the matter, big guy? Bite off more than you could chew?" Lynn asked, giving himself some distance and a chance to really breathe. The alien glared, going down on one knee and opening his the large pincer. Lynn saw the accumulating energy that had surprised him earlier, but he was ready this time.

"Well, you know what they say..." Lynn began, preparing himself by holding the flat bottom out towards the crabodile. "If you can't handle the heat..."

The blast sent a wave throughout the street, the ball of red energy flying towards Lynn. He swung his weapon like a bat, the bottom of the pan catching all of the energy and holding it within the dip of his skillet. Twisting his body around in a circle, Lynn threw the energy back at his enemy, yelling out, "...then get out of the kitchen!"

The crabodile had one brief moment to look surprised before it was lost in the smoke of its own blast. The gargantuan smoke cloud filled the area before Lynn, clearing in seconds and showing the doubled over, char covered form of the alien warrior. It groaned in its guttural tones, and Lynn looked over to Rita.

"Honey! Coming at you!" Lynn called out, throwing his skillet at his wife's opponent. Rita was ducking and weaving and, as she heard her husband's call, rolled back once more to avoid another claw smash. The crabodile had already been moving slower as Rita was releasing plenty of her anesthetic gas in the surrounding air. As her husband's skillet smashed into this thing's head, she hoped it'd be the end of the battle.

Unfortunately, this one, in particular, seemed to know when it was outmatched. As Lynn recalled the skillet back to his hand, ready to throw again, he was horrified to see the large figure turn itself around and push into the closest building…the Crafter's Barrel.

Rita and Lynn both yelled out, knowing all too well that their children and plenty of civilians were in the building. Both began rushing to the massive hole that had just been pushed in, hearing the loud yelling and screaming emanating from inside. They prayed they'd be able to get inside before anything terrible happened…

Suddenly, both parents paused as something dark exploded out of the hole in the storefront. Panic gripped their hearts, but they soon realized there was no heat to meet them. The inside of the store looked like it was just suddenly pitch black, with thin wispy strands of some dark material spilling out and into the air.

Lynn didn't have time to question the material, quickly tapping the side of the glasses and switching it into night vision. This turned out to be the right call, as he quickly saw the scared faces of the various civilians scattered to the sides of the store. More importantly, Lynn saw the confused form of the crabodile who obviously had trouble in the dark.

Its movement still groggy, the large alien peered around, seemingly off balance by the sudden change in light. It had no way of preparing itself as Lynn's pan found purchase against its long head. It swiped its massive claw around wildly, knocking over various shelves and upturning carriages, but Lynn saw it all from a mile off. Within seconds, the alien was flat on the ground, and Lynn was radioing in the need for a few large containment vehicles.

"Lincoln! Lucy!" Rita called out, pushing her way into the store and squinting her eyes, trying in vain to see through the darkness. "Where are you two?!"

A small voice cut through the darkness, but Rita recognized it immediately. "Lincoln!"

Trying to cut her way through the darkness, the terrified mother tripped over forgotten art supplies and the occasional customer of the store, and as she felt a hand grab her wrist in the darkness she reflexively recoiled.

"Honey, it's me!" Lynn said, taking her hand once again. Rita let her apprehension relax before she felt herself being tugged along. "Come on! Whatever this stuff is, I can see through it with my shades!"

Rita couldn't help but note the irony of sunglasses _helping_ to see in the dark, but she let it fall by the wayside as Lynn helped her dive and weave in between the various unseen debris. When they stopped, Rita heard Lynn call out, "There they are! Lincoln! It's mom and dad, we're here!"

Lynn could see his son cowering, looking desperately around in the pitch darkness. Looking over to Lucy's stroller, however, gave Lynn a moment of pause…

"Lincoln! Take your father's hand!" Rita said as she felt her husband shift. Soon she felt the familiar tightness of Lincoln's small arms, hearing him sniff as he buried his face into her leg. Rita still couldn't see her son, but she reached down to pick him up in an embrace. "Sweetie! Lynn, where's Lucy?!"

"I've got her!" Her husband said through the darkness, "Shhh, it's okay Lucy, it's alright. Your dad's here, and the bad guys aren't gonna hurt you. It's okay..."

She didn't know why, but as her husband comforted their baby in the dark, Rita thought she could start to see a little bit easier in the room. Soon she realized that _was_ the case, and the darkness around was slowly fading away. The fluorescent lights of the store were no longer being choked out, and the state of the store was becoming clear to all. There was damage, though mostly to the front wall of the store and the shelf that the alien had fallen on.

Gazing over to her husband, she saw wrapped in his arms was a small bundle of...darkness. There was no other way to describe it, his arms were clasped around what seemed to be something small that was practically bleeding darkness into the air. It only took a second before she heard the quiet sniffles coming from that something and realized what it was.

"Oh my gosh, Lucy..." Rita carried her son over to her husband, holding him in her left arm as he rubbed his face into the crook of her neck. She raised her right hand to the small bundle in her husband's arm and felt the cool touch of Lucy's skin.

"It's alright, sweetie, mom and dad are here now. You can relax..." Lynn said in a hushed tone. The darkness began to ebb from Lucy less and less, soon giving way to the sniffling and lightly crying form of their youngest child. Her tears, thankfully, were leaving and she seemed once again to be lulled back into sleep.

"My gosh, she's quite expressive when she wants to be," Rita said, returning her hand to pat her son's back.

"I know, this is the soonest any of them have shown any powers," Lynn said, the slightest edge of pride in his voice. He lowered his daughter back into her stroller, tucking her in under the blankets that had been left there.

"Thanks so much for the assist honey, it would've been a little hairy without you there," Lynn said, moving up to hug his wife and son.

"You did great out there, sweetie," Rita said as she squeezed her husband back, before breaking away and surveying the area, "I think I'll just take the kids home, this has probably been enough excitement for one day."

"Definitely, and the girls should be getting home soon. Wait to tell them the news though, okay?"

"The news?" Rita asked, raising an eyebrow, "I'm sure they'll be hearing about the fight as soon as they get finished at school."

"Not that news, Rita!" Lynn said, and he was beaming at his wife again, "The news about Lucy! I think we have another Household Hero in the making!"


End file.
